Nordfjord
Fifty miles inland from the ocean we still find ourselves in saltwater, as the National Geographic Endeavour berths in the picturesque Norwegian town of Olden. Glacial rivers pouring westward off ice fields in the mountains have scooped deep long fjords to the sea, seawater since replacing the ice, allowing us to penetrate the landscape by ship.
We ride by bus beside the quintessential fjord, green pastoral hillsides pushed down by early morning cloud masses. We arrive to the trailhead for Briksdal Glacier and proceed on foot and motorized vehicle up to the ice. The famous horse carriages have been temporarily removed after last year’s mini-stampede incident sent a dozen tourists to the hospital.
The air is fresh, with colourful wildflowers abound and the sky opens up as we ascend alongside a rushing stream of glacial milk. Unsuspecting high snow-covered ridges emerge in the deep blue sky and waterfalls fall off forested walls as we walk towards the sun rising over the hanging blue Briksdal Glacier. We reach the bluish ice and its melt water pond.
Back onboard, we retrace our wake towards the Atlantic on this gloriously sunny day. Perfect towns flank the fjord, harbor porpoises break the smooth surface and we spot a hawk, a rough-legged buzzard, dancing with its shadow off a sheer granite wall. After an intriguing lecture on the sculpting power of ice by one of our troll-ish naturalists, we reach the legendary outpost isle of Selje. Here lies a Middle Ages monastery, an important port on ages-old sailing routes to North Sea islands.
Legend has it that an Irish princess, refusing to marry a Viking chieftain, fled with her retinue in three boats without sail, oar, or rudder, and carried where they might, landed on Selje. They hid from heathens in the holy cave we visit at the site, a fortuitous rockfall covering the opening to protect them. Herein lies the legend of Sunniva, one of Norway’s three important saints. A lone stone tower stands in the walled layout of the cloister; we climb the tiny spiralling stone staircase to the belfry to ring the church bell across the water.
Taking advantage of smooth seas here in the North Atlantic we make a postprandial stop at Runde, a phenomenal seabird nesting island on Norway’s outer coast. Gannets, guillemots, razorbills, sea eagles, and, yes, thousands of puffins buzz about us as we enjoy the late evening light and savor today’s experiences of fjord, glacier, monastery and seabird here in sunny Norway.
Fifty miles inland from the ocean we still find ourselves in saltwater, as the National Geographic Endeavour berths in the picturesque Norwegian town of Olden. Glacial rivers pouring westward off ice fields in the mountains have scooped deep long fjords to the sea, seawater since replacing the ice, allowing us to penetrate the landscape by ship.
We ride by bus beside the quintessential fjord, green pastoral hillsides pushed down by early morning cloud masses. We arrive to the trailhead for Briksdal Glacier and proceed on foot and motorized vehicle up to the ice. The famous horse carriages have been temporarily removed after last year’s mini-stampede incident sent a dozen tourists to the hospital.
The air is fresh, with colourful wildflowers abound and the sky opens up as we ascend alongside a rushing stream of glacial milk. Unsuspecting high snow-covered ridges emerge in the deep blue sky and waterfalls fall off forested walls as we walk towards the sun rising over the hanging blue Briksdal Glacier. We reach the bluish ice and its melt water pond.
Back onboard, we retrace our wake towards the Atlantic on this gloriously sunny day. Perfect towns flank the fjord, harbor porpoises break the smooth surface and we spot a hawk, a rough-legged buzzard, dancing with its shadow off a sheer granite wall. After an intriguing lecture on the sculpting power of ice by one of our troll-ish naturalists, we reach the legendary outpost isle of Selje. Here lies a Middle Ages monastery, an important port on ages-old sailing routes to North Sea islands.
Legend has it that an Irish princess, refusing to marry a Viking chieftain, fled with her retinue in three boats without sail, oar, or rudder, and carried where they might, landed on Selje. They hid from heathens in the holy cave we visit at the site, a fortuitous rockfall covering the opening to protect them. Herein lies the legend of Sunniva, one of Norway’s three important saints. A lone stone tower stands in the walled layout of the cloister; we climb the tiny spiralling stone staircase to the belfry to ring the church bell across the water.
Taking advantage of smooth seas here in the North Atlantic we make a postprandial stop at Runde, a phenomenal seabird nesting island on Norway’s outer coast. Gannets, guillemots, razorbills, sea eagles, and, yes, thousands of puffins buzz about us as we enjoy the late evening light and savor today’s experiences of fjord, glacier, monastery and seabird here in sunny Norway.
